Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. K.Zarbaliyeva / Uzeir Jafarov, the editor of the Gundalak Azerbaijan newspaper, stated on 8 June that journalists requiring political asylum appealed to Ramiz Mehtiyev, the Head of the Executive President Administration, Zakir Garalov, the Prosecutor General, Ramil Usubov, the Interior Minister, and Ali Hasanov and the Head of the Social Political Department of the President Administration.
The appeal included a request by the journalists to meet with the aforesaid officials. According to Jafarov, they noted in their interview that the request of journalists on political asylum has no basis and Azerbaijan created all opportunities for media.
A positive response to the twenty-four journalists has not been granted.
The journalists came to this decision after the Realniy Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azerbaijan newspapers' operations were suspended.
The appeal came from nineteen journalists at the Realniy Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azerbaijan newspapers, three from the Azadlyg newspaper, one from the Baku Khabar newspaper, and one from the Yuksalish namina newspaper.